Hawthorne
Synonyms
May. Mayblossom. Quick. Thorn. Whitethorn. Haw. Hazels. Gazels. Halves.
Hagthorn. Ladies' Meat. Bread and Cheese Tree.
(French) L'épine noble
(German) Hagedorn
Part Used
Dried haws or fruits.
Habitat
Europe, North Africa, Western Asia.
Description
The Hawthorn is the badge of the Ogilvies and gets one of its commonest popular
names from blooming in May. Many country villagers believe that Hawthorn
flowers still bear the smell of the Great Plague of London. The tree was
formerly regarded as sacred, probably from a tradition that it furnished the
Crown of Thorns.
The device of a Hawthorn bush was chosen by Henry VII because a small crown from the helmet of Richard III was discovered hanging on it after the battle of Bosworth, hence the saying, 'Cleve to thy Crown though it hangs on a bush.' The Hawthorn is called Crataegus Oxyacantha from the Greek kratos, meaning hardness (of the wood), oxcus (sharp), and akantha (a thorn). The German name of Hagedorn, meaning Hedgethorn, shows that from a very early period the Germans divided their land into plots by hedges; the word haw is also an old word for hedge.
The name Whitethorn arises from the whiteness of its bark and Quickset from its growing as a quick or living hedge, in contrast to a paling of dead wood. This familiar tree will attain a height of 30 feet and lives to a great age. It possesses a single seed-vessel to each blossom producing a separate fruit, which when ripe is a brilliant red and this is in miniature a stony apple. In some districts these mealy red fruits are called Pixie Pears, Cuckoo's Beads and Chucky Cheese. The flowers are mostly fertilized by carrion insects, the suggestion of decomposition in the perfume attracts those insects that lay their eggs and hatch out their larvae in decaying animal matter.
Constituents
In common with other members of the Prunus and Pyrus groups of theorder
Rosaceae, the Hawthorn contains Amyddalin. The bark contains the alkaloid
Crataegin, isolated in greyish-white crystals, bitter in taste, soluble in
water, with difficulty in alcohol and not at all in ether.
Medicinal Action and Uses
Cardiac, diuretic, astringent, tonic. Mainly used as a cardiac tonic in organic
and functional heart troubles. Both flowers and berries are astringent and
useful in decoction to cure sore throats. A useful diuretic in dropsy and
kidney troubles.
Preparation and dosage
Fluid Extract of Berries, 10 to 15 drops.
The leaves have been used as an
adulterant for tea. An excellent liquer is made from Hawthorn berries with
brandy. Formerly the
timber, when of sufficient size, was used for making small articles. The
root-wood was also used for making boxes and combs; the wood has a fine grain
and takes a beautiful polish. It makes excellent fuel, making the hottest
wood-fire known and used to be considered more desirable than Oak for
oven-heating. Charcoal made from it has been said to melt pig-iron without the
aid of a blast. The stock
is employed not only for grafting varieties of its own species, but also for
several of the garden fruits closely allied to it, such as the medlar and pear.